


Echoes

by hungrybookworm



Category: Touhou Project
Genre: Caves, Drama & Romance, Dysfunctional Relationship, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-25
Updated: 2014-12-25
Packaged: 2018-03-03 08:30:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2844623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hungrybookworm/pseuds/hungrybookworm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As Shinmyoumaru adapts to life without Seija, an unexpected meeting sends her on a journey to find her friend again. But some truths are best left unsaid...</p><p>A post-Impossible Spell Card SeiShin story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Echoes

**Author's Note:**

> Touhou Project (c) ZUN/Team Shanghai Alice

Shinmyoumaru woke up that morning, and knew immediately that she had to leave the castle. She’d spent the last week wandering through the rooms aimlessly, barely aware of her own actions, only leaving once to restock the larder. Not today though. Today she would go outside and force her mind to focus on other things. She lay in her futon for almost an hour, staring at the tatami mats on the ceiling, willing up the courage to dress and cook herself breakfast.

Cooking was hard. She’d grown up being waited on, and Seija had done most of it during their revolution, grumbling the whole time as she slapped simple food onto Shinmyoumaru’s plate. Sometimes the meals had egg shells or lumps of flour inside, or tasted suspiciously similar to mud and dirt. But Seija was gone now, so Shinmyoumaru had to cook everything herself. She’d bought some recipe books, filled a notebook with neat, detailed ideas, and could now cook simple meals all by herself. Rice took forever. It amazed her just how tedious something so basic could be to make. Did normal people cook rice every night? How did they find the time to do other things too? It mystified her.

After breakfast, Shinmyoumaru washed up. Despite being ‘big’ again, she still needed a stool to reach the sink. Once the dishes looked suitably clean, she brushed her teeth, tidied her hair, and located her helmet. It was chipped in a few places, and had a large crack running up the side. Scars from her fight. She’d have to replace it soon. How? What with? Worrying about that would come later. Next was the mallet, which she tied to its usual place on her kimono obi. Then her needle sword, and finally her shoes.

Time to go.

*****  
In the end, she decided to visit the Hakurei Shrine again. Shinmyoumaru still didn’t have many friends, and she felt nervous wandering around by herself. She knew the youkai of Gensokyo were no real threat to her now, but she felt vulnerable heading out by herself anyway. Reimu and Marisa were familiar faces at least. 

Getting to the shrine took an hour or two by air, but the route was straightforward and scenic. The fairies cheered as she passed, and a few even chucked danmaku at her. Another peaceful day in Gensokyo. She imagined Seija glowering over that. A month or so ago, she would’ve shared her frustration, but…

No, now wasn’t the time to think about that. Shinmyoumaru was determined to have fun today.

She arrived at the shrine, and immediately glimpsed blonde hair in the main room. Marisa? She knew it was bad manners to just walk inside, but she couldn’t see Reimu anywhere. Was she in the main room too? She took her shoes off, and stepped onto the porch. “Excuse me?”

It wasn’t Marisa; it was a taller woman that Shinmyoumaru immediately recognised as a youkai. She wore a frilly pink dress, and glanced at Shinmyoumaru with sharp eyes. A gloved hand reached out to a bowl of crackers placed in the centre of the table.

It was Yukari Yakumo, the gap youkai and one of the most powerful people in all of Gensokyo, and according to Seija, their worst enemy. But of course, Seija had been lying about that part. Shinmyoumaru had nothing to fear. Right?

“Oh, hello,” said Yukari Yakumo. “I do believe this is the first time we’ve met. You’re an inchling, are you not?”

“…That’s right.”

“Then come in, have a seat.” She gestured to the cushion beside her. “I haven’t spoken to an inchling in a very long time.”

Shinmyoumaru paused, then stepped into the room. She took off her sword as she knelt down, and placed it in her lap, her hand resting near its hilt. She took her helmet off too, worried that keeping it on might show disrespect. “I am Shinmyoumaru Sukuna,” she said. “A member of the inchling royal family, and the owner of the Miracle Mallet.”

Yukari smiled, and glanced at the mallet hanging off her obi. “Reimu has told me a lot about you.”

She had? Shinmyoumaru shivered. “I’m truly sorry for the trouble we caused during the-”

“Oh, pay that no mind.” Yukari Yakumo waved her hand dismissively. “You have more than made up for it recently. Your efforts in catching the fugitive _Seija Kijin_ did not go unnoticed.”

The way she said Seija’s name sent a wave of unease through Shinmyoumaru. The amanojaku should’ve meant nothing to Yukari Yakumo. Seija was weak, Yukari was strong. It was as simple as that. But of course, recent events had changed things. She gripped the hilt of her sword. “Well, as Seija’s mistress, I felt it was my duty to bring her in, before she caused too much trouble.”

The gap youkai smiled. “Indeed. Would you like a cracker?”

“Aren’t those Reimu-san’s crackers?”

“She doesn’t mind. Go on.”

Shinmyoumaru hesitated before taking one. She felt conscious of every action she took, as though the slightest mistake could roust Yukari’s anger.

“I was the last person to fight Seija Kijin,” said Yukari.

The cracker fell from Shinmyoumaru’s hands, into her lap. Her eyes widened. “T-The last?”

“That’s right. She put up a tough fight, for someone on the verge of exhaustion.”

“Did you beat her?”

“Actually, she beat me. I was quite surprised, and impressed, I must say.”

“Oh.” Shinmyoumaru didn’t know what to think of that. Her hands shook as she picked the cracker back up. “Then… what happened after that? Is she safe?”

“Safe?” Yukari laughed. “As safe as a wanted amanojaku can be, I suppose. I honestly wouldn’t know. She ran away after beating me.”

“Where to?”

“Who knows.”

Yukari reached for another cracker. Shinmyoumaru turned hers over in her hand, her mind racing. Seija ran away after beating the gap youkai. Why? The Seija she knew would’ve celebrated her victory over their number one ‘enemy’, and started issuing orders immediately. She would’ve rubbed the loss in Yukari Yakumo’s face. Was Seija still on the run? Were there other, unseen enemies? Shinmyoumaru already had a million questions buzzing around in her head, she didn’t need any more. Maybe Seija couldn’t afford to stick around because she was too badly injured.

That conjured up a horrible image: Seija alone, covered in blood, still bleeding… She was a youkai, so mere physical wounds wouldn’t kill her, but they still hurt. They still made the recipient suffer.

“Was she hurt?” asked Shinmyoumaru. “Did she get injured during the fight, or anything?”

“You seem awfully worried for someone who spent the last six months being duped by her,” said Yukari.

That hurt. Shinmyoumaru bit her lip. “Whether she duped me or not doesn’t matter. She is still my subordinate.”

“Amanojaku thrive off being hated. You would be better off despising her.”

She tightened her grip on her sword. She couldn’t get angry here. Not in front of the gap youkai. “Despising her would be exactly what she wants.”

“I see.” Yukari smiled again. “Then yes, she was hurt. She was even more hurt by the time we were finished, but she could still walk. Her worst injuries are probably healed by now.”

“And you’re absolutely sure you don’t know where she went afterwards?”

“Absolutely. Why, are you planning to search for her?”

“Maybe.” Shinmyoumaru stood up. Her head hurt, and she was struggling to think straight. She had to leave, before she did something rash. “Thank you for inviting me in, but I’m afraid I have other business to attend to.”

“Oh, what a shame.” Yukari didn’t look too disappointed. “Maybe we can talk for longer next time.”

“Yes, hopefully.” Shinmyoumaru turned away, and stepped onto the porch.

“Make sure you discipline your subordinates,” added Yukari. “They need to know their place.”

Her words barely registered in Shinmyoumaru’s head. “Thank you for your kind advice,” she said, slipping her shoes back on. “I’ll remember it.”

Yukari smirked. “My pleasure.”

*****  
She didn’t leave the shrine grounds. Shinmyoumaru sat on the roof instead, and watched the clouds cross the sky. The bright winter sunlight lit up the bare treetops, and the birds sang in their branches. She could see snow on Youkai Mountain in the distance. Six months ago Shinmyoumaru had never seen anything beyond the world of oni: a sunless cave system next door to Hell. Things like the colour of the sky and the sound of a forest shaking in the wind only existed in fairy tales. But then Seija Kijin showed up, and led her into this fantastic new world.

Seija wasn’t the easiest person to live with, but Shinmyoumaru had read about amanojaku in books. She knew Seija couldn’t help being horrible. It was in her nature, right down to her DNA. And she wasn’t really horrible, because she cared so much about the weak youkai of Gensokyo. At least, that’s what Shinmyoumaru thought at the time.

When she tried to think about Seija now, Shinmyoumaru’s head ached, and several strong, unidentifiable emotions shuddered through her. She’d always have to stop whatever she was doing to stare into space for a minute, and hope that the moment would pass soon. Seija had lied to her about everything. Her stay in the Hakurei Shrine had proven that. The inchlings hadn’t been persecuted; they’d caused their own downfall. It was downright humiliating to find out. Shinmyoumaru wasn’t sure how to even begin repenting for all the trouble she’d caused.

Maybe Shinmyoumaru would know how to feel once Seija explained everything. According to Yukari, she was still out there, still uncaught, still on the run, still refusing to give up.

Maybe she really was all alone somewhere, bleeding.

Shinmyoumaru covered her face with both hands. If things had gone differently just over a week ago, when Seija showed up in the Needle Castle with a collection of strange items, this wouldn’t have been a problem. If she hadn’t been too weak to catch her, too slow-witted to talk her into surrender, maybe Seija would be safe right now. Maybe Shinmyoumaru wouldn’t be alone in the castle. And maybe she would have answers to her ten million questions.

She untied the mallet from her obi, and held it in her left hand. Until now, Shinmyoumaru had only used it to make herself bigger, and to bestow power on inanimate objects for the sake of their revolution. But now… 

For the first time since she’d first clasped its handle, Shinmyoumaru had a wish. A wish only a miracle could make happen. The price wouldn’t be too high, but she would take responsibility for it, if she had to. 

She held the mallet up high, and whispered to it. “Please, Miracle Mallet. Lead me to where Seija is. Let me talk to her again.”

The mallet started to glow. It was hard to see the light in the winter sun, but she could feel a warm, comforting energy flowing down the handle. She stood up, mystified, and turned slightly to one side to try and get a better view of it.

The light dimmed.

Oh.

Shinmyoumaru experimented. When she walked in a certain direction – specifically north-east, the mallet glowed consistently bright. Any other direction, and it dimmed. If she turned in the complete opposite direction, the light was barely visible.

The mallet’s light was going to lead her to Seija.

*****  
There was no time to lose. Shinmyoumaru flew home and packed as much food as she could into a day sack. She filled two flasks up from the tap, and grabbed a change of clothes as an afterthought. Then she left the castle, and followed the mallet’s light. It led her back to the Hakurei Shrine, and towards a small, dark pit hidden in the forest behind it. So Seija was hiding underground. That didn’t surprise her. She floated down, and began her journey.

Shinmyoumaru walked through darkness, holding out the mallet like a flaming torch. It cast harsh shadows on the rock walls that moved and twisted as she walked. She waded through a knee-deep lake, scrambled up a rock face five times her size, and trod carefully around bone-white stalagmites. She traversed through vast, cathedral-like rooms, big enough to make her forget her current size, and crawled through tight tunnels on her hands and knees. It was freezing cold, and the caves were eerily silent. Only the sound of her footsteps and dripping water echoed around her. Sometimes all she could hear was her own breath. 

The deeper she went, the narrower the walls and ceilings became. For a while Shinmyoumaru was forced to crawl on her knees again, the mallet clenched between her teeth. Her kimono became frayed and dirty. She was tempted to shrink herself sometimes, when the gaps became unnervingly thin, but she knew that was a terrible idea. The cave system was too complex, and she would be lost in moments.

Occasionally the mallet would dim and glow as she walked in a straight line. Seija was probably on the move. Did she know Shinmyoumaru was coming? It seemed unlikely, but there was always a chance. Maybe one of her items acted like a radar or something.

When she felt tired, Shinmyoumaru would curl up to sleep on the cave floor. Humans apparently needed around eight hours of sleep a night, but inchlings only needed four or five – slightly more than the average youkai. That put her at a disadvantage for hunting Seija, but by the third nap the mallet’s light was stable. She held it close as she slept, its warmth comforting her.

It was after her fourth nap, when her food supply finally ran out and she was considering purifying cave water, that the mallet suddenly glowed red. Up ahead was a small cavern, the size of a room in the Shining Needle Castle. She almost dropped it in surprise.

Seija was definitely in there. 

It was enough to make her tremble, and Shinmyoumaru took a moment to pull herself together. Seija could almost certainly see the light coming from the mallet. There was no way she didn’t know someone was coming for her. Putting the light out would be a terrible idea; they’d be in complete darkness. Shinmyoumaru just had to step carefully, and prepare herself for a possible surprise attack.

Slowly, steadily, she walked forwards. Her steps rang through the cave system, louder than ever. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears. She wanted to run forward. She wanted to run away. She wanted to stand stock still, frozen in this moment forever.

And then, there she was, huddled behind a large rock in the corner of the cave. Seija was clearly trying to hide, but her long shadow gave her away. Shinmyoumaru stopped walking. She kept her distance, giving herself room to improvise if Seija made a run for it. “Seija!” she called out. “Seija, I know you’re there.”

Her voice sounded impossibly loud in the cavern. She saw Seija’s shadow twitch, then slowly thin. She was moving. Shinmyoumaru’s hand touched the hilt of her sword, then changed her mind and grasped the mallet’s handle with both hands. She wasn’t going to shed blood, no matter how desperate things got. “Seija!”

And then, everything spun around.

The floor and the ceiling switched places, and Shinmyoumaru was suddenly upside down. She squeaked, but didn’t panic. A shadow flashed up ahead, and Shinmyoumaru instinctively lunged forwards. But her body moved back a step. Even her movements were reversed.

Of course, this was Seija’s trademark trick: turn everything upside down, and escape during the confusion. Shinmyoumaru had to stay calm. This wasn’t the first time she’d seen her do this. The shadow moved again, this time to the right. Seija was going to run past her. Shinmyoumaru bit her lip, and lunged to the left.

Her body moved right, just as she’d hoped. Their bodies collided, Shinmyoumaru’s helmet smacking into Seija’s stomach. Pain shot through her skull, Seija yelped, and suddenly everything swung around again. They landed on the floor, Shinmyoumaru on top, pushing down on Seija’s torso. “Got you!” Seija squirmed, and Shinmyoumaru straddled her. “Stay still, Seija!”

“Let me go, let me go!” Seija grabbed Shinmyoumaru’s kimono, and tried to wrestle her off. “Get off me, you piece of shit!”

“Seija, be quiet and stop struggling!” Her words stung, but Shinmyoumaru didn’t want to hurt her. Not without reason. “I won’t hurt you if you just listen to me.” Her voice sound firm, commanding, completely detached from the anxiety running through her. The Seija she remembered was stronger than this. Now she couldn’t even fling Shinmyoumaru off her, just tug at her clothes. Something was wrong. “Don’t do anything rash!”

Slowly, carefully, Shinmyoumaru placed the mallet out of Seija’s reach, and gripped the amanojaku’s wrists with both hands. Seija snarled, but she was pinned to the ground effortlessly. Her arms looked bonier than before, and there were still scratches and bruises covering her skin. Shouldn’t those have healed by now?

“Get off me… I’ll kill you… I’ll kill you!”

“No you won’t.” Shinmyoumaru stared at her. Seija glared back, breathing heavily, her face full of disgust. There were bags under her eyes, and her cheeks looked hollow. Shinmyoumaru had gone over what to say millions of times as she’d walked through the caves, but now her mind was blank. The sensation of Seija, real and alive in her hands, overwhelmed her with relief.

“Seija,” whispered Shinmyoumaru. “What happened to you?”

Seija glanced away, furious. “Nothing happened to me. I beat them all up, that’s all.” She attempted a snide smile. “I didn’t need you or your stupid mallet after all. They were a piece of cake.”

“And then you ran away again.”

“I needed to plan my new reign.”

Shinmyoumaru looked up, back at the surrounding cave. She could just about make out a chequered cloak in the mallet’s light. Seija’s cheat items were probably piled underneath it. But she couldn’t sense any of the mallet’s energy.

She put two and two together. “You ran out of power.”

“You wish.”

“You used up the last of the mallet’s power fighting Yukari Yakumo, didn’t you?”

“I said I didn’t. Listen to me for once, you dumb inchling.”

Shinmyoumaru quivered. She wasn’t used to being on the receiving end of Seija’s nastiness. “Stop insulting me.”

Seija looked at her again. “If you’d teamed up with me again, we would’ve won.”

“…Excuse me?”

“You chickened out, Shinmyoumaru!”

 _Shinmyoumaru_. That was the first time Seija had ever said her name, and she pronounced each syllable with disgust. Shinmyoumaru tried to stay brave, but tears welled up in her eyes anyway.

“You chickened out, and got all buddy-buddy with the other youkai! You betrayed me.”

“Stop it.”

“You’re just as bad as the rest of them. See the scratches on my arm? Some of those are from you.”

“Stop it, Seija.”

“And now you’re here to take me in, aren’t you? Hand me over to the youkai sages, watch me get tormented. Peace returns to Gensokyo. All that _bullshit_.”

“Seija…” The tears ran down her cheeks freely. She couldn’t afford to let go of Seija’s wrists and wipe them away. “I did all that because I cared about you.”

“If you ‘cared’ about me you wouldn’t have told me to surrender.”

“You wouldn’t have stopped otherwise!” Shinmyoumaru was angry now. Her grip tightened. “You disappeared after those humans beat me. I had no idea where you were! You could’ve been dead in a ditch for all I knew.”

“It would’ve been better for Gensokyo if I’d died in a ditch. Don’t pretend you didn’t think that.”

“I would never think something like that!” Shinmyoumaru sobbed. “I love you, Seija! I don’t know how I’d cope if you died!”

Seija stared at her, shocked, even afraid.

Then, she laughed. A cold, uncaring laugh. “You love me? Are you serious?”

What else could Shinmyoumaru’s feelings be? “Yes, I love you! And I don’t care if you hate it, either.”

“Of course I hate it. It’s disgusting.” But she kept laughing. “You dumb princess. I’m an amanojaku. Only idiots fall in love with us.” She smiled. A slightly strained, but normal smile. “It’s not too late, you know.”

“Too late for what?”

“We can team up again.”

Shinmyoumaru frowned. “What do you mean?”

“You were right; the items ran out of power. That’s why I ran away.” Her voice was smooth, and the same tone she’d used when she first met Shinmyoumaru. She nodded towards the items in the corner. “But you have the mallet with you. We can refill them. Give them power again. Then we really can take over Gensokyo together.”

She hadn’t expected this. Shinmyoumaru froze, trying to ignore the rush of confusing emotions this new information gave her.

“Why though?” she said, after a moment. “Seija, why would you want to team up with me?”

“Why wouldn’t I? We made a great team before.”

This wasn’t right. Shinmyoumaru decided to try something. “Would you still team up with me if I threw away the mallet?”

Seija looked startled. “Why would you do something dumb like that?”

“Would you, Seija?”

“Urgh…” Seija’s expression slipped. “What’s the point if you don’t have the mallet?”

An uneasy silence hung in the air. It was obvious now. Even when she was corned, Seija Kijin wouldn’t give up. On turning Gensokyo upside down, on trying to sweet talk her way out of things, and on pretending Shinmyoumaru mattered to her.

“I know you lied,” said Shinmyoumaru. Her voice was unnaturally stable. “I know everything now. Nobody hurt the inchling race. You told me all that because you wanted the Miracle Mallet.”

Seija didn’t respond. Her expression didn’t change. The moment seemed to stretch out forever.

Finally she spoke, with a soft, almost tender voice. “You’re probably wondering why I look so sick, right?”

Was she trying to change the subject? Shinmyoumaru kept her guard up. “Yeah…”

“None of them hated me.”

“…What?”

“None of the youkai I fought hated me. They weren’t even afraid of me.” Her voice quivered. “They just wanted to piss around with their dumb reject cards and watch me suffer.”

“Seija…”

“No-one’s hated me in weeks. It’s screwing with my health. My arms aren’t even healing properly.” She looked at Shinmyoumaru, almost relieved. “Being nasty to you earlier gave me a good vitamin boost.”

“Seija.” Tears appeared in Shinmyoumaru’s eyes again. “I’m sorry.”

“Well don’t worry, there’ll be lots of opportunities to make people hate me later, and-”

“No, Seija. I’m sorry.”

Seija frowned. “Huh?”

If that was Seija’s last ditch effort, then Shinmyoumaru was honestly disappointed. “I told you before,” she said. “I don’t want to be enemies with Gensokyo’s youkai anymore.”

Seija’s expression darkened. “…What?”

“You are my subordinate. My right hand woman. You went against my wishes, and I need to punish you for it.” Shinmyoumaru’s voice grew firm again. She could still remember Yukari’s advice, clear and shrill in her mind. “I was confined in an insect cage at the Hakurei Shrine for over a month. As far as Gensokyo is concerned, I have finished my sentence.”

“What the hell are you saying?” Seija tried to push Shinmyoumaru’s hands away, panic setting in. “You’re gonna hand me over after all!?”

“No, I won’t hand you over to anyone.” She leant forward, close enough for their noses to touch. “Seija Kijin, for going against my wishes, for lying to me, for using me for your own ends and being a general menace to Gensokyo’s society, I am arresting you.”

“No!”

“Your punishment will be to live in the Shining Needle Castle with me, confined under house arrest.”

“Never, never!”

Shinmyoumaru stood up, and just as she predicted, Seija scrambled to her feet and tried to escape. But she grabbed the amanojaku effortlessly by the collar, and wrapped an arm around her waist. Seija bit, and scratched, but Shinmyoumaru could barely register the pain. She snatched up the Miracle Mallet with her free hand, and gently whispered to it. “Take us home, right now.”

“No!”

Shinmyoumaru struck them both with the mallet, and they disappeared, leaving the cave in total darkness again. 

The items stayed in the corner, left to rot for centuries to come.

**The End**

**Author's Note:**

> 1) I wrote this as a Christmas present for tumblr user amemenojaku, who has led me deeper and deeper into twisted yuri hell this year. Merry Christmas!
> 
> 2) Needless to say I am deeply in love with Impossible Spell Card right now. This fic came from me wondering what would happen if Seija and Shinmyoumaru met again after Day 8, combined with me thinking about what might've happened to Seija after the last scene on Day 10. ISC is a great game for us fic writers. So much to think about, so many unanswered questions... and when did I start liking Seija so much? It's a mystery even to me.
> 
> 3) I gave Shinmyoumaru shoes because the thought of her walking through a cave system barefoot felt too pitiful to me. My characters may suffer, but they should at least have shoes while they do it! (Though Seija is still barefoot, hahaha.)
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
